1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a regenerated elastic roller manufacturing process by which elastic rollers having been used in image forming apparatuses utilizing an electrophotographic system, such as copying machines, laser beam printers, facsimile machines and printing machines, can be recovered. This invention also relates to a regenerated elastic roller, and an electrophotographic process cartridge and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus both of which use the regenerated elastic roller.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the image forming apparatus utilizing an electrophotographic system, such as electrophotographic apparatus, as a developing roller, a charging roller, a transfer roller, a fixing roller or a cleaning roller, an elastic roller comprising an elastic layer as a surface layer, hereinafter called as a “surface-elastic roller”, is used. To the outer peripheral surface of the surface-elastic roller, toners, external additives and so forth making up developers adhere and are gradually deposited while being used. In the image forming apparatus, the surface of the surface-elastic roller is usually cleaned with cleaning means of various types (see Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open No. H09-101659 and No. H04-336582). However, it has come about that, when being used over a long period of time, developer components such as toners, external additives and so forth which have been unable to be removed by cleaning means are adhered and agglutinated in some cases to the surface of the surface-elastic roller. In particular, there is a remarkable tendency in a developing roller that crushed toners are agglutinated on the surface thereof. Hereinafter, the agglutinated matters on the surface of the surface-elastic roller are called an “agglutinated stain of a developer origin” or simply an “agglutinated stain”.
Such an agglutinated stain of developer origin is difficult to remove with such cleaning means as disclosed in the above Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open No. H09-101659 and No. H04-336582.
However, from the viewpoint of reducing an environmental load, there is a growing need for developing a technique that enables the surface-elastic roller on the surface of which the agglutinated stain is formed to be re-applied for forming a high-grade electrophotographic images. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-328375 discloses a technique in which a filming on a developing roller having been used is removed to regenerate the developing roller. More specifically, it discloses a method in which the surface of a developing roller having been used is surface-processed with a tape abrasive, water jets or a grinding stone to regenerate the developing roller.